Today is day 62 of 90, so we are officially in the home stretch 😊. Isaiah and Jeremiah are such good books, but thick with warnings that feel particularly poignant for present day. So many thoughts and emotions tumbled through my heart as I read. I wonder - for example - when Zedekiah stood - bound - watching his officials and his sons slaughtered - did his mind return to the conversations held in private when Jeremiah warned him? Did the regret just absolutely suffocate his heart?
Over and over and over again, in Jeremiah and Isaiah, God warned and called His people to repentance. They scoffed, after all the majority of their priests and prophets prophesied peace and prosperity. The people would not return. They would not choose God - they chose anything and everything else, but they would not choose Him. Are you being called to turn from something? Have you hardened your heart? Pray and ask God to give you eyes to see and ears to hear and return to Him. I am asking these very same things of myself. And when I do sins will pop into my mind and even after pouring over this scripture - you know what the first inclination of my heart is? To excuse it, reason it away. But, I am not called to excuses or shallow reasoning, instead I am to confess my sins, turn to Jesus and flee from evil desires and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace. 1 John 1:9, Acts 3:19, 2 Timothy 2:20-23. Am I coddling myself, offering soothing platitudes that will lead me astray? I don't want to be one of those women, the one who shows up to Bible studies and church services and reads all the great books, but who is shallow and hypocritical. I don't want to share Jesus with others but miss Him myself. I want to run this race to win. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
I want to leave this post with one final question that I want to ask myself everyday:
Jeremiah 30 vs 21b 'for who is he who will devote himself to be close to Me?" declares the LORD.
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